Morning in the Boiling Isles was peaceful. I seriously doubted it was 0700, the mandatory wake up time of the Organization, but no one was around to tell me off, so why should I care? Even my watch stopped working in this strange place. For a second, I considered checking the time on my phone, but it was nice not knowing the time for once.

Soon, my mind wandered back to the previous day's events. Witches are real. I was stuck. My hair was purple, and I had aged backwards. Doing a double take of the last two events, I made my way over to the bathroom, and was greeted with the same reflection.

Cursing, I exited the bathroom, realizing I should probably eat something. Food was not a major motivator for me. I liked to cook, but I never felt hungry. My mind flashed to my college days, the image of me living off a handful of candy corn a day, too tired to cook or go out, losing consciousness, flashed through my mind. I shook my head, attempting to dismiss such thoughts. So long as I was steady, I would be fine. I just couldn't forget.

Now in the main room, I turned to the poster labeled Die Bard II. Taking the glossy paper in my hand, I pulled it up to reveal a face. Blinking, I took a closer look. It was no larger than a silver dollar. The face was brown, and flat, save for the two closed eyes and the tiny beak poking out from the front.

It must have been asleep, because it continued to snort in air and every time it breathed out, it muttered, "hoot hoot hoot hoot hoot. . ." Over and over. While this face was certainly not a button, it was clear this was what Eda meant. There was nothing else to press. She wanted me to wake this guy up.

Not desiring to hurt the little guy with my finger, I gently poked their beak, and the owl face woke up with a loud 'Boop!'

Now awake he turned to me and said "Hey. You're not Eda!"

"No," I shook my head, "But Eda told me you had snacks. Can I get in?"

"My name is Hooty," the owl creature smiled at the attention and I could not help but wonder why he was behind a poster to begin with, "But what's the password!?"

"Hmm. . ." I stumbled at that one. Eda never gave me a password. Shrugging, I grinned and said, "Please?"

"Oh!" Hooty's face started to extend from the wall to greet me face level, making him look almost like an owl faced worm. I struggled not to be surprised, but Hooty took no notice as he wiggled in front of me, "You got it! Come on in, pal!"

With that, Hooty snapped himself back into place and did a full 360 spin in his spot, revealing a doorway behind him. The room, a kitchenette.

"What'chya gonna make?" Hooty now extended to stand right above my shoulder. Fighting not to flinch, I had to remind myself that 'an Organizer is never surprised.', before turning to the creature.

"Any recommendations?" part of me stressed out at the thought of eating. It scared me to try new food after spending so long following a strict diet. With how strange everything else was, however, there was no doubt the food was strange too.

"Hmm. . . There's griffin eggs in the ice box! Could you make one for meeeeeeee?"

'Eggs?' I thought to myself, 'certainly not part of the Organizer diet, but at least it wasn't too crazy.' Pulling a frying pan hanging on the wall, I began to cook, savoring the smell. With the infection slowly spreading at home, the Organization made a pact to keep everyone they could healthy. This included a strict meal plan for recruits. Still, I grinned, that did not stop me from storing a pile of contraband snacks in my duffle. I chuckled. No hiding my diet now.

Now full and rested, I turned to Hooty. He probably knew more about this place than most, and since I seemed to be the only one giving him the time of the day, he was very keen on helping me, telling me all the juicy gossip of the library and then some.

"Hooty," I inquired, "Do you know when Eda and Raine will be back?"

"They have schoooooool!" Hooty rolled over before looking at me, "Why aren't you in school?"

Chuckling, I leaned back on the couch, "I'm older than I look, and human. Maybe you can help?"

"Hooty Reporting for Duty!" Even I could not resist letting out a chuckle at this creature's antics.

"I'm trying to make sense of things, but I don't know where to start. I'm in a new dimension, with a new body, and I'm trying to get back. Do you have any tips?"

Nodding with his long worm body, he stretched his way to the forbidden bookshelf, pulling out a book titled 'External Magic, A Beginner's Guide for Non-Magical Beings'

"This should help!" Hooty nodded before flopping onto the floor, "Whoopsie! Have I been up for that long? Time for bed"

Turning to the owl worm now on the ground asleep, I picked him up and started to feed him back into the hole he came from. At least he left me with some reading.